Comments on: Smart Notes 8/30/09

By: James

James — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 09:04:20 +0000

“It hardly seems like a coincidence that at least 20 college players have collapsed and died following offseason workouts in the last decade, which was practically unheard of even under old school sadists like Bear Bryant”.

I cant really speak to any changes in intensity and demands of practice over the years, but the Bear Bryant comparison is questionable. Why? Well if you click the link it talks about exertional sickling due to having the sickle cell trait (basically they are saying people who are carriers for sickle cell anemia. NOTE: “carrier” doesn’t always mean that you are unaffected by the trait that you “carry”). Well for half of Bear Bryant’s coaching tenure at Alabama he wasn’t allowed to have black players (HINT: the sickle cell trait, which protects you against malaria, isn’t prevalent in people that come from areas that don’t have malaria, such as Europe). I’m not sure about the demographics of his teams after 1970, but I’m guessing that black players were not as high a percentage as they are today and don’t forget that this is still a rare trait (aren’t there more college football teams today as well?). Bear Bryant was probably spared by population genetics and statistics, not his coaching style.

By: Bob W

Bob W — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 14:28:01 +0000

I say Stinking Fish to the everybody-does-it defense. It doesn’t fly at all when you are caught paying players, does it? And it may be just as true there.

By: AERose

AERose — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 06:18:57 +0000

Were I king I would institute a moratorium on the word “professionalism.” To Coach Blache, I raise my glass for slightly swaying my entertained-to-not entertained ratio for the day.

By: Tom

Tom — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 00:07:30 +0000

I did not particularly like Blache’s attitude, especially because the question was a valid one. He even admitted that the pass rush was inconsistent. There may have been issues with the triteness of the question, but it’s hard to sympathize with him because he just “feels tired” of answering the same old questions every week. It’s part of the job, and that attitude is probably something that prevents him from becoming a head coach. I’m sure plenty of coaches hate dealing with the media, but they do it anyway. Total lack of professionalism on his part.

By: mlc808

mlc808 — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 20:55:46 +0000

Good for Coach Blache — he is absolutely correct, many sports media types simply fire off the same boring questions game after game when their own knowledge of the game they are covering, and oftentimes the whole of the sport in general, is often lacking. Coach Blache honestly seemed to be very good natured about the entire exchange (compared to Matich who apparently takes himself entirely too seriously — grow up, you’re covering sports, not something of monumental significance to the whole of the human race).

Besides, defensive coaches on the whole are usually not your soft-spoken kinder-and-gentler types. If you trot them out in front of the camera and ask them simplistic questions you are as often or not going to get a more interesting answer than you bargained for.

More NFL coaches should stick up for themselves: there seems to be a lot of former players in the sports media that enjoy attempting to portray the coaches they interview as inept and bumbling. While it is true that ‘a football coach isn’t a genius, a genius is a guy like Norman Einstein’ (to paraphrase another classic former jock commentator) if the over-stuffed suits in the studio knew as much as they’d like us to think they did they’d be on a staff somewhere . . .

By: beermotor

beermotor — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 13:01:30 +0000

@KungFuPanda, I think it’s a little ridiculous to dismiss Hawking out of hand simply because of his physical ailment. Sure, it may be true, but your hypothesis is no more testable (at least by us) than the quantum mechanics / string theory stuff you’re saying isn’t likely. Furthermore, I find it somewhat incongruent to imagine that of all the dimensions, Time is the only one that travels in one direction only. I’m not saying you’re wrong or that Hawking’s right, or that quantum mechanics or string theory make any sense whatsoever, I’m just saying that simply because an idea isn’t (yet) supported by observable data doesn’t mean it is incorrect: a lack of evidence is certainly not proof of wrongness. Indeed, once upon a time uplift (and volcanism) and erosion were the only processes that created continents and mountains, and now plate tectonic theory is firmly entrenched in the scientific milleu.

I’m merely suggesting that the purpose of scientific inquiry is to push the boundaries and consider “crazy” ideas, probably the moreso when everyone seems to think your ideas are nuts. Too often “scientists” circle the wagons against all change, and thereby stifle the creative inquiries necessary for progress. With your citation to his physical condition, it looks to me like you are simply parroting the establishment/party line.

What this has got to do with football, who knows – maybe you can tie in physics with Malzahn’s ludicrous speed offense, Chris! Come on, you know you want to do an Auburn article…

By: Spy Scheme

Spy Scheme — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 12:24:31 +0000

Great point on how many guys have died recently when the trend is if not less work (in terms of hours) at least more contained (NCAA Mandated).

Add in Kory Stringer in the NFL to that list.

Not a scientist or chemist but just a Fan so this is less than an educated guess but additional weight and supplements have to factor in somehwere.

Good stuff Chris

By: Charlestowne

Charlestowne — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 04:38:52 +0000

As brilliant as Hawking is, this is another attempt of theoretical physics trying to make sense of the mathematics. When Einstein was first introduced to quantum mechanics, he stated that the ‘mathematics is good, but the physics is bad.’

Simply, one of the basic concepts in QM, is that for a specific set of initial conditions, there are several possible outcomes that are independent of intermediate steps. For example, for initial condition A, there is a 64% chance of outcome B and a 36% chance for outcome C. In addition, not only are these outcomes possible, but they both occur simultaneously. This leads to the concept of alternative universes.

I don’t really know what he means by ‘the present state of the universe selects the past’.

One of the problems with QM, is that because of the nature of these processes, you cannot measure these processes without effecting the conditions, therefore changing the process itself. Therefore direct measurement isn’t feasible.

And as far as string theory is concerned, its has promise, but until it makes a testable prediction, its just really science fiction. All of this is in pursuit of the ‘Holy Grail’ of physics. A unified theory of the universe that explains everything. Maybe one day we’ll have it. Or maybe, we just don’t have the ability to comprehend.

This ADD physics review may not have clarified much, but maybe it helped a little. I need to read that article.

By: OldSouth

OldSouth — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 00:14:53 +0000

In my dad’s day at a small D1 (now D1AA) school, water wasn’t allowed anywhere near the practice field, there were no “mandatory” breaks, the prohibitions on practices and workouts (if any) were greatly reduced, and there were no ambulances, medical staff. But no one seemed to die.

With all that in mind, I find it hard to blame the increased workout difficulty faulting. My best guess is population growth, more widespread media coverage, and perhaps more health-risking players in the pool. (Most of these deaths aren’t deaths from exhaustion, they’re players who have a preexisting medical condition that is aggravated by the extreme workout, and the combination of the two kills them).

By: KungFuPanda9

KungFuPanda9 — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 23:14:12 +0000

I’m afraid Stephen Hawking’s condition is finally affecting his once spectacular mind. String Theory notwithstanding, the notion that time (history) is subjective, i.e., that the past is relative based on the conditions which exist in the present, has no basis in any observable perceived event. To date, we have no evidence that time travels in any more than one direction. As a consequence, the past is forever established and remains independent from the present and future.

Quantum Theory deals with subatomic particles, and does not transcend to the big picture. It is String Theory which has tried to bridge the gap between Einstein’s Theory of Relativity for the macro, and Quantum Theory’s ability to “explain” the micro.

I felt very uncomfortable for both the audience and the man when watching one of Hawking’s presentations (on TV) for an idea which preceded this latest refinement of his new theory. I realized the once brilliant mind had finally lost his way.